174 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 



its support to proposals of this character in the absence of explicit 

 legislative authority for such a course. Further, it is not believed 

 that the public-lands grazing problem can be solved in this way. 

 Adding individual areas to National Forests would be at the best 

 only .piecemeal disposition of a great problem which should be 

 handled through general legislation. 



Of late, new impetus has been given to the movement for addi- 

 tions by the growing realization of the all-round value of the Forests 

 as factors in promoting local development. Perhaps no better illus- 

 tration of this can be found than the memorial of the State of Idaho 

 to Congress, passed by a practically unanimous vote of both houses 

 of the State legislature, for the inclusion in the National Forests of 

 what is known as the " Thunder Mountain Country." This memo- 

 rial recites that the Thunder Mountain Country consists of approxi- 

 mately 1,120,000 acres of unreserved and unappropriated public 

 land, of which not to exceed 1 per cent is agricultural in character; 

 that nearly 350,000 acres has been swept by forest fires during the 

 last 12 years, destroying approximately 700,000,000 feet of timber; 

 that the mineral and water possibilities of the region are lying dor- 

 mant and unproductive; that the wild life is being exterminated; 

 that the grazing lands are being devastated by nomadic herds; and 

 that the area is contributing little or nothing to the support of the 

 county or State government or to the wealth of the surrounding 

 communities. It then continues: 



The inclusion of the said area within a National Forest would eliminate the 

 annual destruction of timber by forest fires ; make it possible for homestead 

 settlers to secure title to their lands under the forest homestead act of June 

 11, 1906, without expense to them other than entry and final proof fees and 

 without the necessity of awaiting public land surveys ; would bring Federal 

 aid in the construction of wagon roads, trails, bridges, and telephone lines; 

 give adequate protection to the game animals, birds, and fish ; establish a 

 system of regulated range use. thus conserving and perpetuating the forage 

 resources for the benefit of the local residents and taxpayers ; make it possible 

 for the Stare to realize upon its equity in the lands by relinquishing the 

 unsurveyed school lands (sees. 16 and 36) and selecting more valuable 

 lands elsewhere; increase the revenues of the county and State through the 

 receipt of 35 per cent of the gross receipts collected by the Forest Service; 

 enlarge the power of the State to share in the benefits of the Federal aid road 

 act ; and otherwise assist in opening to development and use the vast material 

 resources of the Thunder Mountain region. 



This addition should unquestionably be made. 



PROTECTION. 



Ever since administration of the National Forests began their 

 protection against fire has been the greatest single problem con- 

 fronted. Great progress has been made; effective methods of pre- 

 venting, detecting, and suppressing fires have been developed; and 

 yet the problem is by no means solved. On the contrary, it still 

 remaijis the most difficult and perplexing of all administrative 

 problems. 



This is because of the peculiar conditions which make application 

 of the system of fire control to the regions where fires are most dan- 

 gerous a question of expediency in the use of limited funds and the 

 choice of objectives. In other regions the protective system is 

 adequate for satisfactory results because the development of im- 

 provements has progressed to a point which gives practically full 



